A big announcement today: The school formerly known as The Annenberg School for Communication has gotten a name change — and an ampersand.

President Steven B. Sample and Annenberg Dean Ernest J. Wilson III announced today that the school will now be known as the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism.

That little “&” is a big move for the school, asserting a dedication to the equal statuses of — and connection between — the two disciplines. Journalism is no longer a sub-school of Annenberg, but gets to be proudly emblazoned on the school’s name itself, as the massive new banner outside Annenberg shows.

The banner, and name, was unveiled today. The name change was kept secret, and a huge red curtain hung on the east side of the Annenberg above E.F. Hutton Park. Trustee Wallis Annenberg, who had long advocated the change, was present when the curtain fell and the new name was revealed, amid choruses of the fight song played by the Spirit of Troy and streamers exploding from cannons.